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Fall
leaves – they are a wonderful
thing: tremendous colors,
wonderful shapes and a great
natural material filled with
numerous possibilities for the
lawn and garden. And the best
part, it’s all free! Instead of
raking those leaves into the
street or worse, bagging them for
the trash, recycle them.
Is
your lawn looking a little sad
right now? If you have a mulching
lawn mower, you can improve your
lawn soil by mowing over the
leaves in place. This will chop
the leaves into small enough
pieces that they won’t blow away
and will aid in decomposition,
adding nutrients and improving
soil composition.
Leaf
mold, which is created from
decomposed leaves is very
beneficial and has numerous uses.
It can be used to make potting
soil, instead of using peat moss.
Because it helps retain moisture,
leaf mold makes great mulch.
If you incorporate it into
your soil, it can improve your
soil structure, and is a great
addition to our clay soils. It
also adds nutrients and increases
water retention, which is great in
years of drought.
Are
you thinking of adding some new
flower beds or a garden next year?
Now is the perfect time to improve
the soil in those areas. To
suppress weeds, lay some wet
newspapers in the area where you
want the beds to go and add
several inches of chopped leaves.
You can also add layers of manure,
straw, grass clippings and other
composting material to the area.
Wet each layer as you apply it. In
periods of little or no rainfall,
spray the pile occasionally to
keep it moist, which will aid in
decomposition. Don’t be alarmed
by the height of the pile, because
as it decomposes the pile will get
smaller. By spring you should have
a rich planting bed with some
great soil and filled with worms
and other good organisms.
Unsure
of where you want to put those
beds or do you want to save the
leaves for spring or summer mulch,
you have many options. You can bag
them, whole or chopped, in a
plastic bag or garbage can. Make
sure you add holes to facilitate
air circulation and add some
water. You can add leaves to an
existing compost bin or make a new
one using 4 wood posts and
fencing. If you have the space,
you can simply rake the leaves in
big piles and let nature do its
work. To prevent the leaves from
blowing away, place something on
top that allows moisture and air
into the pile, such as fencing or
hardware cloth.
All
leaves are not created equal.
Since oak leaves take longer to
decompose than other deciduous
trees, combine them with other
types of leaves. If you want
faster leaf mold, shred your
leaves with a leaf shredder or a
lawn mower before adding them to
your pile. Leaves from Walnut
trees should be avoided if
possible, as these trees and
leaves contain a toxin that
inhibits the growth of other
plants.
For
those who want to get the benefits
of the leaves without chopping
them up, many cities pick up
leaves at the curb, shred them and
dump them. In
Fort Thomas
these are taken to
Tower
Park
and are available to the
residents. Check with your city to
see what their policy is. Keep in
mind that there is work involved
in bagging the leaves and hauling
them home. Because you don’t
know where the leaves originated,
you won’t be able to avoid
walnut trees and leaves that have
been exposed to pesticides.
Enjoy
the leaf fall this year. Rake
those leaves, jump in them with
the kids, but then recycle them in
your yard. It may be a little
extra work, but think of all that
free earthy spring mulch.
Sharon
Tepe is the founder of Go Green.
If you would like more
information, contact
Sharon
at sharon.tepe@fuse.net
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